Alberto Contador has proved himself masterful at overcoming obstacles in a cycling career that has taken him to the summit of his profession.

From being laughed at for his first ride being his brother’s discarded bike to a devastating brain haemorrhage in just his second year as a professional, Contador has never lacked the dedication and motivation to win. It has helped him become one of only five riders to have won all three Grand Tours of road cycling and to win the Tour de France twice.

In an exclusive and intimate portrait as part of Saxo Bank’s Saxo Cycling Film Project (www.tourdetrading.com) Contador reveals becoming a rider was a surprise to him. After trying other sports he started cycling with his brother’s old bike at a time when boys his age with the newest model laughed at him.

”That’s when I was 15, I started riding a bike quite late, actually,” he recalls. ”I think having that old bike and not having the tools others had, allowed me to reach a point I could never have imagined and stay in a place where I still absolutely value everything I have.”

On the eve of the 100th Tour de France the Spaniard, who leads Team Saxo-Tinkoff, speaks of the vital role played by his team, his hopes for the tour and the importance of the fans. In the film, Contador says he ready to do everything it takes to win this year’s Tour de France.

“Undoubtedly, the Tour de France is this year’s goal. I’ll do whatever is in my hands. I’m sacrificing a lot to get it. Cycling is my way of life.”

The Contador film is the ninth in a series of ten video portraits of Team Saxo-Tinkoff. Directed by Jim Piercy and shot by Fredrik Clement, the films capture the spirit of the team ahead of the historic Tour de France. The portraits also showcase the similarities between riders and traders. Both rely on a lot of data and information, they both need to be able to react swiftly and share the need to have confidence in their ability and the flawless performance of their equipment.

The final video is a summary of everyone featured in the project and will be launched on 2 July, the day of the team time trial challenge, last carried out in 2011. Alongside the tour, Saxo Bank is hosting the Tour de Trading (www.tourdetrading.com), a competition which starts on July 1 and runs through to 19 July. Competitors who sign up to take part in the competition for free will get full access to more than 30,000 instruments on the SaxoTrader platforms. Saxo Bank will publish daily results of the leading traders on the Tour de Trading website, and traders with the biggest gain in total amount will win unique prizes, including Alberto Contador’s Tour de France bike.